Shots
by Badpie
Summary: At a bar in the wards, Commander Shepard gets to know some of her crew a little better.


My first one. Please read and feel free to review. Just a snapshot of a night in the life of the Normandy crew. FemShep.

**Shots**

By Badpie

Shepard was always happy when her crew got some shore leave, even if it was just for a couple of days. She rarely took advantage of it herself, instead using the time to catch up on the tedious reports, system checks and peace and quiet on board. Occasionally she'd ask Pressley to stick around if she was leaving, but she didn't like to do that too much. Her Ex O deserved some time off ship, after all. In the short time that she'd been in command, she hadn't hung out with the crew because she was their commanding officer. Not only did she not want to make them uncomfortable and unable to let loose, but she also had to be careful not to behave in ways that would hurt her credibility. As a female officer, she felt scrutinized more often than not, but didn't mind. She was damn good at her job and knew it.

She'd taken advantage of the quiet on the ship to get in a good workout in the gym, lifting weights, hitting the bag. All her stress melted away as she beat it to submission. Her mind, usually reeling with a million different details was quiet after, the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders for a short time. She indulged herself in a slightly longer shower than usual, dressed and made her way to the food replicator in the mess.

Something slightly resembling pasta, perhaps a distant cousin manifested itself for her to eat. Her first bite contorted her face and she spat it back into the bowl. She made a note to tell Swanson, their basic mechanic to get on fixing the piece of crap machine. But Swanson was out, as was most of the rest of the crew, Alenko, Williams, Joker. Even Garrus and Wrex had gone off. She was sure she would probably find Tali lurking around somewhere, still trying to learn as much about the ship as possible. And she thought she might find the shy Liara in her quarters as well. Liara had gone out with the crew once. But the human customs of blowing off steam, drinking, dancing, hooking up with attractive strangers seemed to make her uncomfortable.

"Machine on the fritz again?" Pressley said behind her.

"Yeah." She held up her bowl. "This was supposed to be pasta but it turned out more like sewage."

"I'll get Swanson on it as soon as he gets back."

"Thought you'd be out, Pressley," she said, tossing the disgusting pasta in the incinerator.

"I was," he replied. He was wearing civilian clothes. "I'm back now. Thought I'd rather have some peace and quiet tonight. Why don't you go off?"

Shepard thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.

"I'm good. Thank you though."

"Come on," Pressley laughed. "Go have a little fun. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

She thought again for a second. She liked Pressley. He was older, would probably retire soon. In the short time they'd worked together they had enjoyed a refreshingly honest rapport with each other.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," she said. "Might be good to go have a drink. Thanks, Pressley."

"Have a good night, Commander," he said and walked away.

Shepard stood for a moment, thinking. What would she do? She sighed. She liked fun. She could have it. She just hadn't planned for it. As she walked back to her quarters she remembered some of the crew said they were going to a bar in the lower wards. They'd invited her. Maybe she'd join them. She didn't want to make them uncomfortable, but kind of smiled at the thought of surprising them. Good to keep them on their toes every once in a while, she thought.

She changed into some dark jeans, low heeled black boots, a plain black tank and a short, lightweight black jacket. She looked at her sidearm pistol, lying on the bed, thought about leaving it, then thought better of herself and strapped on her shoulder harness, tucking the piece discreetly next to her ribcage, under her jacket. Trouble didn't find her too often unless she was on a mission, but she'd never forgive herself if she was dumb enough to get caught unarmed in an unpleasant situation. She took another look at her mid-neck length black hair. Usually pulled back in a simple, short ponytail, it now framed her face in an attractive way. It was a simple style. She wasn't a girly girl. She liked to think she was still feminine, but she'd rather face a thousand Geth than wear three inch heels on a daily basis. One last quick check in the mirror and she was off, determined to have some fun.

Barley's was kind of a rowdy place. It was loud, smelled like smoke and stale beer and blared hard rock. Shepard scanned the room and out of habit made note of everyone and everything. Her trained eyes quickly memorized faces, groups. She spotted Kaidan, Ashley and Joker sitting at a table in the corner. She strolled over casually. When she was a few steps away, Kaidan saw her, looked a little surprised, then smacked at Ashley's shoulder.

"Straighten up, Chief" he ordered, and she sneered at him before realizing the commander was there. She and Kaidan stood at the same time, both a little surprised. Joker sat, but straightened up. His leg braces, under his pants were noticeable, but not obvious.

Shepard smiled.

"At ease, marines," she said. "That's an order."

Kaidan smiled warmly at her and pulled out a chair.

"Have a seat, Commander." he said. She did. They sat too and loosened up. The waitress, a perky blonde with a prominent, abundant chest and short skirt walked up smiling. She touched Shepard's shoulder.

"What can I get you, sweetie?" she asked.

Shepard looked at the near empty glasses of beer her crew had gone through and motioned to them.

"Let's get a round of whatever their having."

"You got it!" she said, cheerily and bounced away.

"Slummin' it with us grunts tonight?" Joker said.

"Yup," she said. "Just wanted to see how the lesser folk live." She smiled. "Probably won't stick around too long." She saw Kaidan's face noticeably fall. She could tell he'd had a few beers prior to her arrival. He wasn't normally this transparent.

"That's too bad," he said. "Joker's buying tonight."

The waitress came back with their beers before Joker could protest.

"This round's on the guy over there at the bar." She pointed with her red fingernail. They all turned to look at the man sitting at the bar, who raised his glass. Shepard recognized him right away.

"Oh great," she said under her breath.

"Who is that?" Ash asked and gave a nod to the man. "He's cute." Shepard saw Joker bristle slightly, which surprised her. She had no idea he was even remotely interested in Ash.

"Old friend," Shepard said flatly and stood up. "I'll be back." She walked off and could practically feel the speculation of her crew behind her about who the man was and what relation to her he had.

She smiled thinly as she approached him.

"Jack Tersian," she said, the name escaping her lips for the first time in years.

"Jane Shepard," he said. He hugged her awkwardly and kissed her cheek. He stunk of whiskey.

"Been awhile, Jack." She said, matter of factly. It sure had. The last time she'd seen him was two years ago, here in the Citadel. He was the worst mistake she'd ever made.

"Yeah it has. How ya been?" His tone oozed sex.

"Busy." There was an awkward silence as he looked at her. He was a seriously attractive man. His green eyes pierced hers and she looked away quickly. They'd had some fun on and off a few years ago, until she'd found out he was dirty. His involvement in the shady underground criminal world had come to her as an unpleasant surprise. He'd served some time, nothing big really, but she'd told him not to contact her again. He was bad for her career and it wasn't as if she'd been around him for any other reason than relieving stress to begin with.

"I've missed you, Jane. Think about you a lot. You know you really did a number on me." He said. He tried to touch her face and she grabbed his hand. She cursed him silently. She could feel the eyes of her crew on her back. They were no doubt running with several theories she rather they didn't have at this point.

"You're drunk, Jack." She said. She didn't hate him. She didn't even really dislike him. Just didn't give a damn.

"I know," he admitted and stood up. "Good to see you, Shepard." He touched her shoulder as he moved past her.

"See you around, Jack. Thanks for the round." They walked off in separate directions and she could already see the crew trying to pretend they were talking about something else.

She glanced at Kaidan, smiled and sat back down, knowing that none of them would dare ask. She sipped her beer.

"So Joker. You buying shots or what?"

"Yes ma'am!" he said and motioned for the waitress.

Ash let out a "woo hoo!" and Kaidan laughed.

"Look who's bringing the party with her," he said. He clinked his glass to hers and they drank.

The night went on for a few more rounds and Shepard found herself truly enjoying herself with the crew. They'd relaxed pretty easily and she was happy to learn a few new things about them. She learned that Ashley could tie a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue, a feat which nearly sent Joker into a frenzy. Ashley seemed at home in the bar, and Shepard got the sense that her outgoing, fun-loving personality came with a party-girl reputation. If Shepard didn't know what a great marine she was, she might just figure her for another loud drunk gal at the party.

Joker shared some amusing stories about his brothers back home. He was sweet and sensitive, even with the sarcastic, bitter facade he put on, a thick skin he no doubt developed as a result of his bone disease and physical frailties. Aside from being the best pilot in the fleet, Shepard was learning the Joker was a pleasure to be around. He made her feel relaxed.

Ash had noticed a scar on Kaidan's forearm and asked where he got it, prompting a round of comparisons around the table from everyone, including Shepard. Alcohol fueled conversations between marines, often made it to this point. Each battle story seemed to one-up the other. Shepard's jacket was off now as she pointed out a scar from a Krogen arms dealer who stabbed her in her shoulder blade when she tried to arrest him. There were of course scars she wouldn't talk about. Like the scar on her cheek, under her right eye, a painful reminder of the past. All of them probably had stories they didn't want to share.

A momentary wash of sadness flashed on her face. Only Kaidan noticed as Ash and Joker were having some soft of heated, drunken debate. Kaidan must have been feeling brave.

"You okay?" he asked. She smiled. She hadn't realized she had made a face.

"I'm out of stories," she said. She glanced at Joker and Ash, who were laughing in their own world.

"I doubt that," Kaidan laughed. Shepard was starting to feel a little more buzzed than she'd hoped for.

"I'd better get back to the Normandy," she said. She stood and so did Kaidan.

"I'll go with you. I'd better get some sleep."

"See you on board," she yelled to Ash and Joker. Joker waved and Ash slurred something similar to "yes ma'am."

As Shepard and Alenko walked out of the club, cool air hit them and she put her jacket back on.

"So Joker and Ash," she said. "That's interesting."

Kaidan nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm not sure she knows he's alive, but he's mentioned her to me on more than one occasion."

They stepped into the elevator to the loading docks and fell silent. She suddenly realized she was alone with Kaidan. She stole a quick once over glance at him as she sometimes did when they were alone. He wore a black jacket over a simple black t-shirt that showed that he was extremely fit, jeans and black boots. She laughed slightly at the similarities between their outfits. She noticed his crooked smile and his eyes locked on her.

"What?" he asked. "You checking me out again, Commander?" he asked. She smiled at the comment. From anyone else she might have thought it inappropriate, but with Kaidan it was different. She had become as close with him as standards would allow and more than once had sought his ear as a friend. She always played her troubles close to the chest, even with Kaidan, but she had to admit it was nice to sometimes have a sounding board.

"Lieutenant, if I decide to check you out," she looked at him "you'll know it." She broke eye contact with him immediately. Small comments here and there, casual flirting when they were alone. She was okay with that. It never got too serious. She continued, "Just always throws me to see the crew out of uniform." she said. He nodded.

"I know. I almost didn't recognize you tonight. You look..." He paused. She knew he realized he'd just set himself up for something embarrassing. His filters were down from the beers and shots. She watched him sweat it out for a second before he decided on how to proceed. "You look relaxed." He said. She smiled. Well played.

The elevator opened, revealing the real world to them again and they walked together to the Normandy.

"It may be that I've had too much to drink, Commander" Kaidan began. "But I'm gonna ask anyway."

"What's on your mind?" She wasn't sure where this was headed.

"In the bar there was a moment there where you looked very sad. You just kind of checked out for a minute. Where'd you go?"

They were entering the main corridor of the ship now and they stopped. Shepard thought again of Mindoir and the horror that occurred.

"There you go again," Kaidan said. She looked at him a moment and finally decided it was a conversation for another time.

"Just old demons," she said simply.

"We all have our demons," he said. They spent a moment focused on each other's faces and he finally looked down. "Anyway I hope I'm not too out of line saying that. I don't seem to have much control over my mouth when I drink. I don't want to be inappropriate."

She just laughed.

"Jesus, Alenko. Stop apologizing. Anything else you wanna say to me so you can blame it on the booze?"

He ran a hand through his dark hair and more visibly than he should have, glanced the length of her body.

"Plenty." was all he said, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Good night, Shepard." He smiled and turned, heading to his bunk.

"Night," she said after him, and walked in the opposite direction.

In her bed she realized she was far more tired than she'd thought. She wondered if Ash and Joker had returned to the ship. Wondered if she would have a hangover tomorrow. Probably not, she thought. She could hold her booze pretty well. Tomorrow she would spend the day doing the tedious, dry dock tasks she usually did on shore leave, but she went to bed happy. Her new crew was becoming like a family to her, in a way. She cared about them all, wanted to protect them.

She stopped herself from thinking like the officer she was and indulged in the memories of the evening as she fell asleep.


End file.
